Category: Book Review

There’s no shortage of self-help books on the market. There is, however, a paucity of research on whether those self-help books are actually helpful to the people who use them. In an ideal world, every self-help book would be submitted to scientific scrutiny to determine if people actually benefit from using them. Unfortunately, this happens only rarely.

Even a self-help book that is based on well-researched cognitive behavioral principles and written by leaders in the field is not guaranteed to be effective. For example, one recent study found that college students with greater rumination exhibited more depressive symptomsafter using Greenberger & Padesky’s Mind over Mood, a well-respected cognitive behavioral self-help book for depression. These findings suggest that evidence-based psychotherapy interventions don’t always translate into effective self-guided techniques that people can use on their own, and in some instances can actually be harmful.

Reductions in anxiety and fear did not happen by going after anxiety and fear directly. It was just the opposite. By first focusing on the skills needed to live a more valued life, readers then experienced a decline in their anxiety, fears, and depression, and ultimate improvements in their lives. This is an important message––one that supports the approach we offer in this workbook.

The workbook emphasizes ACT skills to help people engage in meaningful living, and it appears that those skills—rather than interventions aimed at alleviating anxiety and worry—appear the most effective. Said another way, the findings suggest that people using the workbook improved more from doing things that were important to them than from any particular technique. This is quite profound, if you think about it, and very different from how many people approach anxiety. Attempting to directly suppress or control anxiety-related thoughts and feelings can often backfire.

Because it’s one of the rare self-help books that has been researched specifically as a self-help book, I find myself recommending The Mindfulness & Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety more than any other self-help books, and I was excited to hear there’s an updated edition coming out. I encourage readers to check it out.

Although OCD is commonly used to describe someone who is overly tidy, this stereotype doesn’t capture the common struggles of someone with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Perhaps as a consequence of stereotypes such as this, many people with OCD suffer for years — knowing that something is wrong but being uncertain how to even describe what they’re going through.

The book is not a self-help book in the sense that it offers strategies for managing OCD. Instead it’s an information guide that covers a range of helpful topics such as effective treatments (e.g., exposure with response prevention, medications), how to interview potential providers, and even how and when to request work or school accommodations.

What impressed me most about this book was its concise readability. The book is about the size of a short paperback novel, and I easily read through it within a few hours across a couple evenings. It’s clear the author cares deeply about helping people with OCD, and he’s able to convey his compassion in a writing style that’s precise, yet warm and empathic.

If you or anyone you know struggle with OCD, I highly recommend you pick OCD: A Guide for the Newly Diagnosed. It’s also a great resource for therapists, packed with up-to-date information.

What Makes Us Unique

Portland Psychotherapy is a clinic, research & training center with a unique business model that funds scientific research. This results in a team of therapists who are exceptionally well-trained and knowledgeable about their areas of specialty.

Our research lab has dedicated research funding, space, equipment, and staff. We also host postdoctoral fellowships, mentor volunteer research assistants, and provide ongoing training to professionals working in the community.